Battle of Corrin

The Battle of Corrin is an important battle in the fictional "Dune" universe created by Frank Herbert. It is briefly mentioned in his novels "Dune" (1965) and "Chapterhouse Dune" (1985), and is later explored in detail in "" (2004), a prequel novel by other authors.

"Dune"

In "Terminology of the Imperium", the glossary of the novel "Dune", Frank Herbert provides the following definition:

CORRIN, BATTLE OF: the space battle from which the Imperial House Corrino took its name. The battle fought near Sigma Draconis in the year 88 B.G. settled the ascendancy of the ruling House from Salusa Secundus.

The entry for Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in "Appendix IV: The Almanak en-Ashraf (Selected Excerpts of the Noble Houses)" of "Dune" mentions House Harkonnen's notorious link to the battle, saying of him (in part):

VLADIMIR HARKONNEN (10,110-10,193) Commonly referred to as Baron Harkonnen, his title is officially Siridar (planetary governor) Baron. Vladimir Harkonnen is the direct-line male descendant of the Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen who was banished for cowardice after the Battle of Corrin. The return of House Harkonnen to power generally is ascribed to adroit manipulation of the whale fur market and later consolidation with melange wealth from Arrakis.

Lady Jessica, concubine of Duke Leto Atreides, further notes that the Harkonnen humiliation was initiated by an Atreides, inciting the millennia-long feud between the two Houses which is essential to the overarching plot of "Dune":

"There'll be much bloodshed soon," she said. "The Harkonnens won't rest until they're dead or my Duke destroyed. The Baron cannot forget that Leto is a cousin of the royal blood — no matter what the distance — while the Harkonnen titles came out of the CHOAM pocketbook. But the poison in him, deep in his mind, is the knowledge that an Atreides had a Harkonnen banished for cowardice after the Battle of Corrin."

"Chapterhouse Dune"

In "Chapterhouse Dune" it is noted that the Battle of Corrin had motivated the Bene Gesserit to contact the Jews and establish a mutual alliance:

The masking system ... did not succeed with us. We have our own well‐recorded Jewish heritage and a fund of Other Memory to tell us reasons for secrecy. We did not disturb the situation until I, Mother Superior during and after the battle of Corrin (Very old, indeed!), saw that our Sisterhood had need of a secret society, a group responsive to our requests for assistance.

"Dune: The Battle of Corrin"

In 2004's "Dune: The Battle of Corrin" (the last book in the prequel trilogy "Legends of Dune" by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson), the Battle of Corrin is the climactic battle of the Butlerian Jihad, mankind's crusade against thinking machines.

At this time, the forces of humanity are led by Vorian Atreides and his subordinate Abulurd Harkonnen — grandson of Vorian's longtime friend Xavier Harkonnen, who has recently died. Before the battle, the Omnius Evermind, leader of the machine army, puts approximately two million human slaves into orbit on transport barges around the planet Corrin. Rigged with explosives, the barges will detonate if the human fleet crosses a demarcated line.

Despite the threat, Vorian decides to proceed with the attack, believing the sacrifice is necessary for this last chance at crushing the machines to succeed. Abulurd objects and is relieved of command; he later sabotages the human fleet to delay their advance. The hostages are not killed and the humans manage to defeat the machines, but Abulurd is soon branded a traitor.

Vorian renounces his friendship with Abulurd, and during the younger man's trial for treason suggests that the charge be changed to that of cowardice. Abulurd is exiled to the planet Lankiveil; when he, his wife and the rest of their village later die of a fever, the Harkonnen sons are quick to blame the Atreides. Eventually, these accusations become accepted as fact, ultimately developing into a formal vendetta against the Atreides.

Leader of the mankind Faykan Butler merges his position of Viceroy with the vacant position of Grand Patriarch as the first step to consolidate his power. Faykan then changes his family name to Corrino in tribute to the Battle of Corrin and declares himself Emperor, thereby establishing the Corrino Empire.